Stephen Gentle

Partner

General Experience

Stephen is head of the firm’s Crime, Fraud & Investigations group. He specialises in assisting corporate and individual clients in complex fraud and financial regulatory matters, frequently with multi-jurisdictional aspects.

He has particular expertise in advising in anti-bribery and anti-money laundering compliance, investigations and proceedings and Financial Conduct Authority matters (with a particular emphasis on insider dealing, market misconduct and international regulatory issues). He has expertise in Competition and Markets Authority criminal cartel investigations. His international criminal practice covers extradition proceedings, financial sanctions advice and mutual legal assistance requests where he acts for corporations, individuals and governments.

Alongside his fraud practice he has extensive experience in advising members of government and law enforcement agencies in sensitive enquiries where independent expertise in criminal law is required.

Stephen also has expertise in the criminal aspects of the restraint and recovery of the proceeds of crime both in its domestic and cross border aspects.

Stephen is listed in Band 1 in the 2019 Chambers UK guide to the legal profession (Financial Crime (Corporates) and Band 1 for Financial Crime (Individuals and Cartel Investigations) where he is described as “very clever, very able, can see the big picture” and that “he has excellent technical knowledge and combines this with strategic advice and an intuitive understanding of what the client wants”. The Legal 500 describes him as being a leading practitioner “at ease advising both corporates and individuals” and notes the “calm reassurance” he brings “to problem areas”. He was recognised as Who’s Who Legal’s Business Crime Defence Lawyer of the Year 2016 and Global Investigations Review (Investigations 2019) describes him as “one of the best around” and a Global Elite Thought Leader.